The present invention relates to a disc loading apparatus for a compact disc player, and more particularly to a disc loading apparatus, by which it is made possible to load compatibly the 8 cm compact disc and 12 cm compact disc safely and easily into a vertical type compact disc player.
Conventionally, such device has been known that disc supporting means which can support compatibly the 8 cm compact disc (hereinafter, refered to as "small-sized disc") and 12 cm compact disc (hereinafter, refered to as "large-sized disc") is arranged within an interior of door which is mounted to open and close pivotally and provided with a clamper so that the small-sized disc and large-sized disc can be respectively placed at the appropriate location.
This conventional disc loading apparatus is of a type, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in which a door 42 is mounted to a body member 41 so that it can be opened or closed pivoting around the hinge shaft 43, a turn table 44 is mounted to the body member 41, a clamper 45 is mounted to the door 42, a disc is placed onto the turn table 44 by the clamper 45, a semicircularly shaped supporting protrusion means 48 abutting and supporting the small-sized disc 47 is formed at the lower portion of clamper 45 in said door 42 and slant surfaces 49 being formed at both end portions thereof, an intermediate supporting protrusion 50 and two supporting protrusion 51, 52 at both sides to be contacted with the large-sized disc 46 are formed at the lower portion of said semi-circularly shaped supporting protrusion means 48, and the bent portions 53, 54 are respectively formed at the tip end portions of both supporting protrusions 51, 52.
According to this conventional disc loading apparatus, in a case of loading the large-sized disc 46, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the large-sized disc 46 is put in at a state that the door 42 is opened, since the semi-circularly shaped supporting protrusion means 48 is smaller than the large-sized disc 46 in its diameter, when the large-sized disc 46 is inserted, it is not interrupted by the semi-circularly shaped supporting protrusion means 48 and slipped on the slant surfaces thereof and then abutted and supported to the supporting protrusions 50, 51, 52 at the lower portion, and when the door 42 is closed, as shown in FIG. 1B, at the time that the large-sized disc 46 is abutted and supported, the large-sized disc 46 is safely loaded on the turn table 44 by the clamper 45.
Further, in case of loading the small-sized disc 47, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the small-sized disc 47 is put in at a state that the door 42 is opened, said small-sized disc 47 is sliding down from the inlet and interrupted at the semi-circularly shaped supporting protrusion means 48, at this moment, when the door 42 is closed as shown in FIG. 3B, the small-sized disc 47 is loaded on the turn table 44 by the clamper 45.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 3B, in the state that the discs 46, 47 are respectively loaded, since said discs 46, 47 are contacted respectively on the turn table 44 by the clamper 45, and kept respectively to be spaced apart with predetermined distance from the semi-circularly shaped supporting protrusion means 48 and the supporting protrusions 50, 51, 52, any disturbance or interference is not occured when the discs 46, 47 are respectively turned.
However, since the above-described conventional disc loading apparatus requires the small-sized disc or large-sized disc to be loaded carefully so as to be hooked up to the semi-circularly shaped supporting protrusion means 48 or supporting protrusions 50, 51, 52, it has been inconvenient to use, and in case when using the small-sized disc, if it is not laid correctly on the semi-circularly shaped supporting protrusion means, the door becomes to close at a state that the small-sized disc is slipped downward, and therefore there has been the problem that the parts of the turn table and the pick-up are contacted to each other to be damaged and also the information surface of the disc is damaged.
Therefore, according to the conventional disc loading apparatus, at a state that presently the compatible use of the large-sized or small-sized disc is not yet generalized, it has been very difficult to handle safely if user is not skilled.
Further, according to the conventional disc loading apparatus, in case when opening the door after loading and playing the large-sized or small-sized disc, since the large-sized or small-sized disc remains inserted in the interior of the door, there has been also a problem that it is difficult to take out the disc.
On the other hand, in order to solve the problem as aforementioned, apparatus for loading the large-sized or small-sized disc more conveniently, has been offered, for example, a disc loading apparatus of a type which inserts the large-sized and small-sized discs in the same way and supporting by same supporting means in case of loading the large-sized or small-sized disc into the door, and which moves the large-sized or small-sized disc by a position control means and loading safely on the turn table when closing the door. However, although the disc loading apparatus of this type has an object for improving the convenience by rendering possible to load easily the large-sized and small-sized discs in the same method, a apparatus capable of satisfying various points required to the product, i.e., a disc loading apparatus which is simple in structure and the operation is possible to be carried out smoothly has not been developed yet.